Understanding of the motivational factors that influence

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the stated research gap and stated challenges and abstract and discussion of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 4 journals. Those papers have been cited 47 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 5 representative gaps

• “I Felt Like I Completely Belonged in That Class”: Gender and the Development of Sense of Belonging in K-12 STEM Education (2026) · Educational Psychology Review · doi

  There is a lack of understanding of the development of girls' sense of belonging in K-12 STEM education. The literature on belonging is broad, but there is a gap in understanding the impact of gender stereotypes and gender roles on girls' sense of belonging in STEM. The paper claims that the field lacks sufficient attention to the theoretical clarity of the construct of belonging in STEM, particularly for children and adolescents.

  generalstated research gap
  Keywords: there lack understanding development girls sense belonging k-12
• From aspiration to occupation: predictors of STEM career alignment among community college students (2026) · Higher Education · doi

  The study identifies structural and cultural barriers, including exclusionary climates and diminished belonging, as challenges to STEM participation. The study highlights the importance of addressing disparities by gender, race, and socioeconomic status in STEM fields. The study notes the challenges of promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM fields, including the need to address the gap between aspirations and reported occupational alignment.

  generalstated challenges
  Keywords: study identifies structural cultural barriers including exclusionary climates
• Students’ perspectives on the ‘STEM belonging’ concept at A-level, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels: an examination of gender and ethnicity in student descriptions (2024) · International Journal of STEM Education · cited 47× · doi

  It is therefore important to understand the factors influencing students’ persistence in STEM fields, and what STEM belonging means from the voices of socio-demographically diverse students, in order to ensure equity among students in STEM fields and to increase their belonging to this field, which has not been clearly defined in the literature, and there is a lack of agreement about the definition of belonging itself.

  generalabstractevidence 5/5
  Keywords: students stem belonging fields important understand factors influencing persistence means voices socio demographically diverse order
• What’s on Their Minds? Salient Motivational Benefits and Challenges of STEM Careers Perceived by Black and Hispanic High School Girls and Boys (2026) · Journal for STEM Education Research · doi

  Mixed findings regarding the relationships between Black and Hispanic students’ task value beliefs and their STEM career aspirations have led researchers to ques- tion the extent to which SEVT constructs reflect STEM career decision-making among historically marginalized groups, or to conclude that individuals from these groups perceive low value for STEM careers (Andersen & Ward, 2013; Gottlieb, 2018).

  generaldiscussionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: stem value career groups mixed regarding relationships black hispanic students task beliefs aspirations researchers ques
• What’s on Their Minds? Salient Motivational Benefits and Challenges of STEM Careers Perceived by Black and Hispanic High School Girls and Boys (2026) · Journal for STEM Education Research · doi

  There is a lack of understanding of the motivational factors that influence career decisions in STEM among historically marginalized groups. Prior research has highlighted the importance of competence-related and task value beliefs on career decision-making in STEM, but more research is needed to understand the specific factors that influence career decisions among Black and Hispanic high school girls and boys.

  generalstated research gapevidence 5/5
  Keywords: there lack understanding motivational factors influence career decisions

Questions about this gap